ARLINGTON — On Monday, Michael Young bid farewell to Texas and, in doing so, created a need for somebody in the Rangers’ clubhouse to step into a bigger role.

On Tuesday, somebody did.

Even while downplaying the need to identify a new clubhouse leader, Ian Kinsler said all the things that needed to be said. He said the Rangers needed to play with more energy and emotion. He said the team needed to worry about playing as a team rather than identifying a leader. He said he would be willing to move to first base if asked to do so.

“I think the question of who will lead us now is overrated, honestly,” Kinsler said before a Cowboy Santa Toy Drive event at Rangers Ballpark. “The goal is not to find out who is the leader. The goal is to win. The goal is to get back to the exciting kind of baseball we played from 2009-11. I’m going to do my part to provide whatever I can.”

He can provide a lot. In many ways, Kinsler is the perfect successor to Young. He has the most consecutive big league service time with the Rangers in the clubhouse. More important, he belongs to the Rangers “Royal Bloodline,” so to speak.

Young helped Kinsler break in in 2006 and though the two are vastly different in personalities, they have been close friends ever since. They’ve lockered next to each other for at least the last four years.

Before mentoring Kinsler, Young was mentored by Rusty Greer and before mentoring Young, Greer was mentored by Will Clark. Clark, like the new ballpark and new uniforms that he arrived with in 1994, gave the Rangers a tough-minded identity the organization never really had.

Like Clark, Kinsler is an emotional player. He also is probably the most talented member of that group of players. He has power equal to Clark, running ability better than Greer in his prime and defensive capabilities that surpass all three who came before him.

He also, however, has been the most inconsistent.

“There is no ‘next in line,’” Kinsler said. “You have to perform on the field. You have to perform in the clubhouse.”

In 2012, Kinsler had the lowest on-base percentage of his career (.326) and the lowest on-base-plus-slugging (.749), too. He tied his career high in errors (18) and led AL second baseman. He led the AL in times picked off base (six). And if umpires kept a statistic on times a player complained about a third strike, Kinsler would have probably led the majors in that, too.

When the offense shut down in September, Kinsler’s .276 on-base percentage from the leadoff position was a major reason why.

“It wasn’t up to my standards,” Kinsler said of 2012. “I want to provide more energy for this team and I didn’t. I’m an emotional player. I want to show more emotion. The team needs to show more emotion. That’s what I’m good at providing. I’m going to prepare myself the best that I can to do that.”

The first step in correcting the problem: admitting there is a problem. The second step: addressing it. And in Kinsler’s case, there is a third unrelated step. He’s likely to also have to learn a new position — first base — while reworking his game.

He acknowledged the Rangers have asked him some “what if” questions about the position this winter.

His take: “If they believe me playing first base will help make us a championship club, I’m all for it. I signed here to win a championship.”

If the Rangers are looking for somebody to help take control of the team, Kinsler certainly lived up to the part Tuesday. Now, he’s just got to take that to the clubhouse and the field.

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